Sniffles and Sneaking
by Emono
Summary: Archie gets sick, Nick wants to help. Warnings: Sick-Archie, sneezing, fluff, SLASH!


**Title**: Sniffles and Sneaking

**Author**: Emono

**Rating**: PG-13

**Fandom**: CSI: Las Vegas

**Pairings**: Nick/Archie, faint Grissom/Greg

**Disclaimer**: CSI is safe from me, I can't hack them. *snort* Who do you think I am? Archie? Pff.

**Summary**: Archie gets sick, Nick wants to help.

**Beta**: gil_follower

**Warnings**: Sick-Archie, sneezing, fluff

Nick watched Grissom leave his office, shaking his head wearily. The Southerner knew it was his time, and he wasn't about to give it up because he was doing something very wrong and Grissom was technically _right _there. But Greg came out as timed, and clung right onto the entomologist. Greg turned on the puppy eyes, pulling at Gil's shirt childishly and turning on all his charm. Reluctantly, with a last look at his office, Grissom followed Greg to wherever Sanders had decided would be the farthest away.

Nick exchanged a thumbs-up with the boy behind his boss's back.

Nick dashed for the office, pulling open the door and slipping inside. He didn't bother to flip on the light switch, he could see the red blinking light of the phone just fine. Walking over, he eyed the device curiously. He almost _knew_ it would this way, no note or anything, just a voicemail.

Considering it was Archie, he had half-expected a text message or e-mail.

The Southerner pushed the button, leaning on the desk and listening intently.

"Hey Grissom" the voice over the phone was muffled, but not by faulty technology "God, I feel horrible. Some kind of bug…er, sorry. But, yeah, I'm not coming in today. I'd just screw up or something, so do your supervisor-thing and mark it down. Oh…_Achooo!_" the muffled voice sneezed, a deft nose-blowing, then coughed slightly "Shit…Please don't tell Nick, kay? Guh, gonna go."

There was a prominent beep, then an electronic woman told him he had no other messages.

"Don't tell Nick" the CSI scowled, but worry creased his voice "I'll show him…"

Nick left a small note on Grissom's desk, calling him a few things he shouldn't then scratching them out lazily before throwing it away and putting a simple line. He tossed it onto the tabletop, then slid his coat from around his waist and put it onto his shoulders. In the next moment, he was gone.

The yellow sticky note fluttered slightly on the desk, but didn't move.

_Tell me next time my boyfriend's sick_

_~*~_

Nick didn't bother knocking, he barged right into the apartment and made himself at home. He shed his shoes and jacket, putting his hands on his hips (in a very manly way, thank you very much.)

The apartment was in the same state of disarray as he had left it last night, but it looked no less than he would expect from his lover. Three…no, four laptops were laying around, two open on the large dining room table and the other two stacked in the corner with lines running through them. USB cables were coiled like snakes around chair legs and corners, a few high-end decoder/cable boxes giving the place some solidity. Wires that ran to nowhere he knew laced on the floor, littered in with socks and boxers and the occasional game system. There, surrounded by satellite boxes and up-to-date systems, was a plasma TV. _Two and a Half Men_ flickered on the screen, canned laughter echoing throughout the living room.

The couch faced the TV, away from the doorway. A startled sound emitted from behind it, a raven head of hair popped up from behind it. Dark eyes glistened, wide and surprised. The man's nose was red, spreading down the bridge and staining along the tops of his cheeks.

"Nick?" Archie coughed slightly, a red cowboy handkerchief coming up to cover his mouth "Wh-…wha' are you doin' here?"

"Damn baby, you can barely talk" Nick's voice overflowed with unease, walking through the usual mess and making his way to the front of the couch. Archie was curled up on the dark jade couch, a white comforter with little chibi-fied headphones printed on it's surface wrapped around his legs and pooling at his hips. He was adorned in a Columbus Blue Jackets jersey, nearly threadbare from being used as a pajama shirt. Archie didn't like sports, but there was something special about those Jackets and fighting on ice that made the lab tech sit glued in front of the TV (although usually with one of his laptops in his lap and a single ear bud in his ear.)

From the empty box of tissues lying on the floor, Archie had been there awhile.

"I…" Archie sniffled pathetically "I didn' want you to see me like this."

"Why didn't you say something?" Nick sat down on the couch, careful to avoid the man's legs. He rested his knuckles on his lover's forehead, wincing at the heat that radiated off him. "You've got a fever, probably just mild flu…have you taken some medicine for it?"

Archie nodded pitifully, closing his eyes and savoring the touch.

"You seemed fine last night…" Nick mused softly, thinking back to last night and smiling to himself. Last night had been a dinner at a favorite restaurant of his lover's, it was dim-lit and the patrons were never nosy. It was a place where they could get a booth and be themselves, talk freely and enjoy a meal together. They never got to do stuff like that, between work and…well, work shifts, it was impossible to steal a moment alone besides quick make-outs in the locker room and storage closets and falling into the same bed (sometimes to do nothing but lay there and smile weakly, for work wore them out.)

But last night had been perfect, a whole night of whine and dine that left Archie dizzy. Pour on a bit of Southern charm, thicken his accent a little, and his boyfriend was putty in his hands. The dinner had been idyllic, and Archie was still putty when they had come back to this apartment for the night attached at the mouth. They had been hot for each other since they left the restaurant, leaving a trail of clothes to the bedroom before warming up the mattress.

As far as Nick could recall, he hadn't heard Archie sneeze once.

"Came on this morning" the lab tech let the other absently caress his cheek, his fevered skin bleeding into the calloused palm "Hope I didn' give you anything."

"I'm not worried about _me_, peanut, I'm worried about _you_" Nick smiled as the other man scowled at the nickname "Let me make you some broth, ok?"

"Can't eat" Archie made a face, watching his lover stand up "Can't _breathe_, forget it."

Nick ignored the protest, making his way over to the kitchen and pulling out the handy tea kettle that he had bought the younger man. In a few minutes, it was whistling and he had a buoyant cube in a pale blue mug that had a computer connected to a real mouse (a stupid gift from Hodges, after making a comment about fellow "rab lats")

The Southerner cast him a suspicious look, "You kept this stupid thing?"

"Either that or buy one" Archie shrugged, pulling the blanket further up on his waist and keeping his eyes on the screen.

Nick tisked, "Ok then."

The field agent filled the mug with steaming hot water, putting a spoon in and stirring the cube. It dissolved into a thick, beef broth that's perfect for clearing the sinuses and making his lover healthy. Archie made another face as the Southerner approached him with the drink, pulling the blanket up around his nose and mouth. Nick glared half-heartedly, shoving his lover's legs aside so he could sit.

Nick offered the cup, "Drink."

Archie gave a slight sneeze into his handkerchief, "Bite me."

Nick's eyes turned fierce, "You want to tempt me _now_? When you can't participate, let alone fight back?"

Archie's equally dark eyes widened slightly, that brilliant mind working overtime on that. Reluctantly, the lab tech lowered the blanket and let his hand unfurl from it's folds. Nick smiled sweetly as his lover finally took the remedy his mother had always shoved down his throat, broth and tea. Keep your insides warm and all that. Fuel the fever, smother the flu…erm, or however it went.

His mother would be _very_ disappointed if he had forgotten it already.

Archie moaned slightly, the warmth spreading through him to replace the heat the fever had caused. It seemed to lessen the pressure around his eyes, easing his headache, and it tasted pretty good. Like Ramen broth, only…healthier, not so greasy. Taking a large gulp, the back of his tongue protested. Too hot, ok, he got it…drink it slow.

Nick smiled triumphantly, snatching up the remote and finding something better to watch. He found Discovery Channel, a show about condors was playing. The Southerner settled into the couch, recalling the facts as they were spoken on the screen. Archie swallowed down all the broth, seated cross-legged beside his lover and letting his blanket fall from his shoulders. Silence swallowed them , but it was a comfortable silence.

Nick cast an eye over his lover, "Aren't you cold?"

Archie closed his eyes over the rim of his mug, smiling a bit. Clad in only a jersey and old boxer shorts with the Joker's grinning face plastered all over them, covered up in his tech blanket, sniffling, hair ruffled so it stuck up in every direction, he must've been a peculiar sight.

"Chills, my fingers and toes are numb" the raven haired man took a grateful sip of his broth, letting it sooth his throat "I can't get warm."

After some time, Archie sat the empty mug on the side table.

"You really weren't going to tell me you were sick?" Nick was ready to pout "I'd like to know, so I can at least send you good thoughts."

Archie tried to laugh at the absurdity of it, but he choked half-way through and buried his face in his handkerchief. After he blew his nose and gasped back his breath, the A/V specialist gave his boyfriend an apologetic look.

"I didn't want to worry you" Archie replied truthfully, coughing delicately into his handkerchief when his words caught in his swollen throat "God, Nicky, I feel fuckin' horrible. Can't breathe, can't sleep…my head hurts so much…"

"Baby, come 'ere" Nick cooed, spreading out his arm. Archie made a feeble sound, shedding off his blanket in favor of curling up against his lover. He pressed his heated forehead to the Southerner's neck, nuzzling into him. Nick murmured nonsense, stroking a hand through those ruffled raven tresses he loved so much. "Lay down, babe, try to rest."

Archie nodded slowly, sliding down the Southerner's body until his head was resting on a pliable thigh. It was better than any pillow, a strong hand moving through his hair and down his body. Nick smiled down at his lover, noting how much of a cat he could be when he was sick. Archie all but purred, the Southerner let his hand trail down over the threadbare jersey, settling at his hip. Archie was never so vulnerable, he was usually kind of solid and with-it. Laid back, the guy who said "Cool" a lot and surfed every other weekend or so. He had only seen his lover sick once before, and he had been too sick to get out of bed.

"Tell me next time" Nick spoke softly "I worry more if I don't see you at work and Griss looks concerned."

Archie smiled faintly, "Next time I'll call you, and you can come over…I'll put you in a nurse's uniform and everything."

He pulled the blanket over the slighter man's bare legs, "I'll be counting on it."

Nick settled himself in for a long afternoon.

**END**

["Caaramelldansen (Speedy Cake Remix)" by DJ Bouche and Cristina Vee plays in background]

_Love it or leave it?_

_**3 Emono**_


End file.
